Words for Wednesday

Epictetus (55-135) was a Roman slave who turned into a philosopher, and one with some mighty fine insights. This is a point he made that strikes me as immensely relevant to our current political situation in the US:

"Let no wise man estrange himself from
the government of the state; for it is both
wicked to withdraw from being useful to
the needy, and cowardly to give way
to the worthless."